Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Volvo Cars'

Den här rapporten är ett examensarbete utfört för Volvo Cars Uddevalla vid Linköpings tekniska högskola. Vår uppgift har varit att hjälpa Volvo Cars Uddevalla med att starta arbetet med energieffektivisering. Det gör vi genom att undersöka vilka möjligheter till energieffektiviseringar som finns för att minska framförallt elanvändningen. Vi har föreslagit ett antal effektiviseringsåtgärder genom att titta på de mest energiintensiva processerna på fabriken och målet för elanvändningen är att minska den med 50 procent.

Effektiviseringsåtgärderna har tagits fram genom att leta systemfel, som i princip alltid finns inom ett företag, och genom att undersöka om icke elspecifika processer kan konverteras till bränslen. Det är framförallt stödprocesserna som undersökts eftersom det oftast är bland dem de största systemfelen finns.

En uppskattning har slutligen utförts för hur stor energianvändningen blir efter genomförda förändringar. En besparingsberäkning har även genomförts med ett nuvarande och framtida elpris. Vi har däremot inte beräknat kostnaden för till exempel nyinvestering eller konvertering till fjärrvärme.

Resultatet är att elenergianvändningen har reducerats med 45 procent och fjärrvärmeförbrukningen med 43 procent. Målet uppnåddes som synes ej, men studeras också processventilationen och processbelysningen finns goda möjligheter att reducera elförbrukningen med 50 procent.

Demands on businesses are constantly increasing and the competition in the market-place is becoming ever tougher. To gain the long-term confidence of customers, not only the best businesses, but also the best supply chains are required.

Volvo Cars is experiencing a changing competitive situation and their retailers are having trouble stocking the right spare parts. Shorter product life cycles and the growth of Volvo’s product program result in an increase in the number of spare parts to be stocked. In order to adapt to market trends and meet customer demands, Volvo has developed the LDC model, establishing a number of regional warehouses in strategic locations in Sweden, de-signed to supply spare parts to the regions’ retailers through so-called Vendor-Managed In-ventory (VMI).

The purpose of the study is to examine Volvo personbilar Sverige’s (VPS) motivation for a modified customer-service strategy through LDC. Furthermore, we aim to survey the LDC model and its function, and to identify the pros and cons of VMI and different inventory strategies. Next we will examine how retailers are affected by a transition to VMI and re-gional distribution centers (the need to adapt the organizations and working methods). Fi-nally we will examine how the alliance with VPS for the retailers choosing to join LDC is transformed, and the potential for improvement for the LDC model in action and in the implementation phase.

To attain our purposes, we have chosen conduct interviews with select retailers and key persons at VPS and Volvo Cars.

Our conclusions show that VPS has a well-developed strategy behind the LDC model and that VPS’ motive is to enhance customer service and the total performance of the supply chain. The retailers understand the need for change during the introduction of a new logis-tics system. However, our study shows that the biggest problem for the retailers when in-troducing the LDC model is getting employees to change their working methods and rou-tines. An unexpected conclusion of the study was that the alliance and transparence had not changed to the extent we had expected after the introduction of LDC. The most im-portant improvement suggested by the study is that VPS should work to integrate all func-tions and finished products for the after-sales market in the LDC model, allowing them to offer retailers a complete solution.

Three different manufacturing lines are chosen to be investigated and different solutions are suggested which are all beneficial for the company. All three lines are considered from the Lean manufacturing point of view. The most common failures in the factory are caused by the system called Poka-Yoke. The three chosen line are being investigated from this aspect of view as well and different solutions are given in this project. The existing systems at these lines are compared to the FPS, which finds its roots back in Lean Production. The FPS is described in this project in a specific chapter. The readers can also find the history behind the FPS and Lean production and the comparison between the FPS and Toyota Production System in this project. The authors have also gone through different construction arrangement by the side of these three lines and have come up with some solutions from the Lean manufacturing point of view in order to make the VCT manufacturing one step closer to the FPS. One can claim that the main goal of this project is to show the connection between the FPS and Volvo manufacturing system and showing the fact that the whole concept behind the FPS is nothing but the Lean Production.
Uppsatsnivå: C

Zhejiang Geely holding Co. succeeded in purchasing Ford Motor Co’s Volvo unit, which was the hottest news in the world in 2010. Volvo needs the Chinese potential car market; Geely needs Volvo cars’ advanced technology. Such purchase arouses our interesting to conduct a research study on Chinese consumers’ attitude and intentions toward Volvo cars.   Our aim with this study was to identify the most important attributes of Volvo for Chinese consumers; to analyse how Chinese consumers were influenced by other people’s opinions and to explore how Chinese culture factors such as face concern and group conformity influence consumers’ attitudes  towards Volvo.   In order to find the result, we used online self-completion questionnaires and choose customers from a life insurance company in Shanghai as our sample group. From the survey result we found that Volvo is the second most favourable brand that Chinese consumers want to own in the near future. The top three car attributes for the Chinese consumers when they were going to choose a car were quality, safety and fuel economy. But they had less knowledge or beliefs that Volvo car has an advantage with those attributes. Besides that, we find that Chinese consumers’ behavioural intention of buying Volvo is influenced by family, friends, perceived behaviour control and group conformity, but there is no relationship between face concern and buying behaviour.

The growing demand in the industry towards sustainability and the globalization of manufacturing lead to an industrial climate of constant development and improvements, and automotive interior design is not excluded. In 2017 the European Union declared that the material used to generate the bright chrome surfaces of car interiors (CR VI) is toxic and carcinogenic. This implies that Volvo will ban the use of Chrome VI for decorative parts from September 2024.  Finding a more eco-friendly alternative to replace CR VI not only functionally but also in terms of perceived quality and user experience will be an urgent and decisive action.  In this project, the parameters of gloss, haze, color temperature, and metallic depth are investigated in order to figure out which elements ensure the perceived quality of chrome surfaces.  For this purpose, a user study based on different sensory tests and soft metrology was carried out with 48 people, as well as seven samples, five of them more eco-friendly alternatives. This project aims to introduce a set of tools to assess and guarantee the perception of quality by supporting the development of "chrome-look" surfaces in the automotive interior with new sustainable materials. Through this study, correlating soft and hard metrology, it is observed what makes a surface perceived as "high-quality" and which of the more eco-friendly alternatives could be the most optimal to replace Chrome VI in Volvo's car interiors.

Airbags are a passive safety technology, required to function with zero failure rate. Advances in Computer Aided Engineering have allowed vehicle manufacturers to predict material and system behavior in the event of a crash. The sudden and rapid nature of a vehicle frontal crash, together with strict requirements put on safety make this a sensitive task. This thesis focuses on the front passenger airbag deployment and the instrument panel’s response. Various airbag modelling techniques are studied and presented in this document. This work is part of a larger-scale attempt to model a generic-sled that is physically representative of a real vehicle. Various component tests are to be performed in the sled environment, as opposed to a real vehicle, to save costs. Various modules are added to the sled once their behavior is verified by testing and in simulations. Software are advanced enough to identify location and magnitude of stress concentrations that develop during crash. LS-DYNA is used for explicit finite element simulations of the instrument panel (IP) in question with different airbag models. Verification has been achieved by design of experiment (DOE); with tests conducted to capture both the movements of the airbag housing and IP movements in response. These movements are broken down in various phases, facilitating implementation in the sled environment. Simplifications are made both to the computer models as well as the physical testing environment. The effects of these simplifications are quantified and discussed. Theoretical background is provided where fit while assumptions are justified wherever made. DYNAmore recommendations regarding costeffective calculations as well as result verification are followed. The obtained results show that the FE models replicate the real event with acceptable precision. The findings in this work can, by minor tweaks, be implemented on other IP models in the Volvo Cars range, leading to cost-saving solutions. This thesis provides the necessary information for sled implementations as well as future improvement suggestions.
Krockkudde är en s.k. passiv säkerhetsteknik som krävs att fungera felfritt. Framsteg inom Computer Aided Engineering har tillåtit biltillverkare att förutsäga material och systembeteende i samband med krock. Den plötsliga karaktären av krock, tillsammans med höga säkerhetskrav, gör detta till en känslig uppgift. Denna avhandling fokuserar på passagerarsidans krockkudde och instrumentbrädans (IP) respons under uppblåsning. Olika metoder för modellering av krockkuddar har studerats och presenteras i detta dokument. Arbetet är en del av en större skala försök att modellera en generisk-släde som är fysiskt representativ av en riktig bil; där olika komponent-tester skall utföras för att minska kostnader. När olika modulers beteende verifieras läggs de till släden. Denna verifiering sker genom finita element (FE) simuleringar så väl som fysiska tester. FE mjukvara är idag tillräckligt avancerad för att identifiera samt visualisera spänningskoncentrationer som uppstår i en konstruktion vid krock. LS-DYNA används i detta arbete för explicita FE simuleringar av en Volvo XC90 IP, lastad med olika krockkudde-modeller. Modell verifiering har uppnåtts genom försöksplanering (DOE); med tester utförda för att fånga rörelser av IP så väl som krockkudde-behållaren. Dessa rörelser är sedan uppdelade i olika faser för enklare genomförande i släde miljön. Förenklingar och antaganden görs både till FE modeller och fysiska testmiljön. Effekter av dessa har kvantifierats och relevant teoretisk bakgrund har inkluderats. Dokumentet innehåller även diskussion kring val av mätutrustning samt förbättringsförslag för fortsatt arbete. DYNAmore rekommendationer gällande kostnadseffektiva beräkningar och verifiering av simulerings-resultat har följts. Under arbetet visade sig att FE modellerna kan återskapa händelsen med hög noggrannhet; dessa trotts svårigheter i modellering av plast material. Möjligtvis kan man, genom mindre modifieringar, relatera slutsatserna i detta arbete till olika IP modeller i företagets produktkatalog vilket förmodligen leder till ytterligare kostnadsbesparingar. Denna avhandling ger den information som behövs för genomföranden i den generiska miljön.

Abstract Aim: This project deals with ‘employee involvement in the implementation process of waste management. The research focus on Volvo Cars Corporation since the company involves a set of departments in such process. The purpose is to identify the dominant factor(s) affecting employee involvement during waste management execution. These factors are ‘the creators of employee involvement’ and they are organizational culture; communication; training and education; teams; employee empowerment; and rewards. Thus, the research question that has been addressed is ‘how does employee involvement take place in organizations during the implementation of waste management strategies?’ Method: Case study design was applied since it serves as ground for understanding the phenomenon; and it is connected to qualitative research. The authors collected mixed data. Secondary data were gathered from the firm’s sustainability reports, while primary data is obtained from interviews with Volvo’s employees who were related to waste management implementation. Results were offered by applying coding, categorization and content analysis. Results and Conclusions: Volvo demonstrates a green corporate culture with informal and participative channels of communication. Employees work in cross-sectional and self-managed teams and they are not intensely trained in environmental oriented issues. Decentralization in decision-making is the common approach within the company. Moreover, a bonus reward system exists there. Limitations and Suggestions for further research: As the results from representative case studies design cannot be generalized, a comparative case study design regarding a number of automotive companies is recommended. The employee involvement factor has been explored in this study, however, additional research regarding firm’s performance and employee involvement outcomes is decidedly suggested. In addition, the authors recommend to conduct further studies related to other green strategies such as lean production, reduction of toxic emissions, reuse, recycle, etc. Contribution: training and education programs plus rewards packages are found irrelevant in the employee engagement with waste management. Conversely, the conducted study find out additional factors. They are the ‘social component’ and the ‘ecological mentality’ of the business which have to be considered for managers and society as important dimensions in the course of the employee involvement. Key words: HRM, employee involvement, waste management implementation process, creators of employee involvement.

About ten years ago Volvo Cars could see that car manufactures began to introduce rear wheel arch liners made of non-woven fabrics or some kind of laminate which are mostly common today. Volvo Cars have also seen that competitors now are beginning to develop the front wheel arch liners more and more and expect a development equal to the one for the rear wheel arch liners. This is why we are set to optimize the front wheel arch liner.

For development of mechanical products such as car parts, a discursive method is most suitable to follow. For example systematical concept development which we have used in our work.

From a technical point of view, our results shows that the penta laminate used for the wheel arch liner on Mercedes Benz S-class is by far the best material. Unfortunately it is rather expensive which of course affects its result in a negative way when cost is taken in to consideration. When including cost, the solid plastic is actually rather economical.

After assessment of the result in total we are however convinced that Volvo Cars should concentrate on further research of penta laminate and open negotiations with different suppliers regarding a material of this kind.

Regarding the geometry, the tests and studies that Volvo Cars have performed earlier on splash shields clearly shows the usage of the part and further research done by our selves does not point at any problems with a splash shield integrated in the wheel arch liner.

För ungefär tio år sedan kunde Volvo Cars se att biltillverkare började introducera bakre hjulhus tillverkade av ”non-woven” fibrer eller någon form av laminat vilket idag är högst vanligt. Volvo Cars har också sett att konkurrenter nu börjar utveckla främre hjulhus mer och mer och räknar med en utveckling liknande den för bakre hjulhus. Detta är anledningen till att vi har fått uppgiften att optimera det främre hjulhuset.

För utveckling av mekaniska produkter så som bildelar, är en diskursiv metod mest lämpad att följa. Till exempel systematisk konceptutveckling som vi har valt att använda i vårt arbete.

Sett ur ett tekniskt perspektiv, visar våra resultat att pentalaminatet som används för hjulhusen på Mercedes Benz S-klass, är det överlägset bästa materialet. Tyvärr ar det ganska dyrt vilket naturligtvis påverkar dess resultat negativt när hänsyn tas till kostnader. När vi även ser till kostnaderna, är faktiskt den rena plasten mycket ekonomisk. Efter bedömning av det totala resultatet, är vi helt övertygade om att Volvo Cars borde koncentrera sig på fortsatta undersökningar av pentalaminat och inleda förhandlingar med olika underleverantörer angående material av denna typ.

Angående geometrin, visar Volvo Cars’ sedan tidigare genomförda tester och studier att en splash shield fyller en viktig funktion och vidare undersökningar genomförda av oss själva pekar inte på några problem med en i hjulhuset integrerad splash shield.

Volvo is one of the most visible and famous symbols of Swedish engineering industry. After the recent world economic crisis the Chinese-based Geely Holding Group became the new owner of Volvo Cars. The question is whether the acquisition affects the image of the brand, and if so what is the character of this effect. Thus, this thesis provides the insight in the situation and attempts to give the answer to this question. It identifies the tendencies and provides an example of what changes in the brand image of Volvo have already occurred and what can be expected.Purpose:The purpose of this research is to identify, describe and analyze the effect that the acquisition by Geely Holding Group had on the brand image of Volvo.Method:Within this research a survey was conducted. The issues of concern regarding the change of the Volvo brand image were identified through literature study and observations in the specialized automobile on-line discussion panels. Based on the collected information and theoretical background, a questionnaire was designed and placed in the Volvo discussion forums in three countries – USA, Germany, and Great Britain. The total of 172 responses were received. The obtained data was processed statistically and theoretically on the basis of the theoretical framework.ResultsThe obtained results demonstrate that the brand image has been affected by the acquisition, and the character of this effect varies depending on the aspect of the brand image. Such attributes of Volvo, as safety, quality, and design have been influenced positively, whereas the associations with environment and family are found to be affected in a negative way. The image of a typical Volvo owner has been blurred too.

Today’s business world hosts a phenomenon, a way to expand business activities by con-solidating or buying another company, so called Mergers or Acquisitions (M&As). It is a way to grow quicker and enter new markets than otherwise would not have been possible without M&As. Within the automotive industry this phenomenon has been seen frequently with examples like the Renault-Nissan, DaimlerChrysler-Mitsubishi and Ford Motor Com-pany-Volvo Cars team-ups. The last mentioned is particularly interesting since there have been talks implying Ford to sell Volvo Cars due to a harsh financial position.

M&As can be successful or less successful. In order to get the most out of a partnership it is important to do some research before deciding what to do. It can be done through a due diligence process, through identifying if there is a strategic fit, i.e. if the companies actually fit each other’s goals etc., and if and how the partners can benefit from each other. One ex-ample of the latter is the complement of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. A model of strategic fit such as the 4 Cs where the capability, compatibility, commitment and con-trol issues are brought attention for further evaluation. It can clearly be seen that these fac-tors should be considered when looking for a partner. Applying this between a potential buyer and Volvo Cars, new and reasonable owners/partners can be identified.

In this study an inductive approach has been used. An inductive approach means that the researcher collects data and from this data develops a theory. The study is furthermore ex-ploratory, meaning that the researcher seeks new insights of a phenomenon, finds out “what is happening” and seeks new insights into the area. A cross sectional approach is taken as it is not the authors’ aim to describe a long-run development but rather to give a view of what happens in a special moment. It has been decided that a case study will be done to narrow down the study and to provide an example of a current situation where strategic fit plays a vital role. The study is qualitative by nature as the authors aim to de-velop an understanding of a complex phenomenon.

In the search for secondary data 725 articles were reviewed and from them 32 were chosen. Out of these articles six potential buyers were identified and their appropriateness was dis-cussed with a source with insight in the automotive industry. The primary data was col-lected through semi-structured interviews of which the majority was performed by phone.

The very purpose of the study was to identify new potential buyers, which is also to be seen as partners, of Volvo Cars. In the pursuit of doing this a firm process had to be carried out. The strategic fit between Volvo Cars and a future potential buyer must be settled in or-der to indentify it. Out of the set of potential buyers some are more credible than others, due to their traits which fit Volvo Cars better than with others. The fit is also looked upon whether a new buyer needs to be a car manufacturer or not. This was a key in the study along with which synergistic gains could be realized in different scenarios and also which specific company out of the set that would be the most reasonable buyer. The conclusion is that, given the authors’ view of strategic fit presented in this thesis, the most reasonable partner of Volvo Cars would be Renault-Nissan. Further it was concluded that Volvo Cars will be bet-ter off if having a car manufacturer as a partner.

What could be complicated was the actual outcome which was not known at the time of writing. Hence the authors have left a reasonable answer to whom Volvo Cars can be sold to in the future; it is not a definite one.

Rapporten betraktar energisystemen vid Göteborg Energi (GE) och Volvo Cars, Torslanda. De två systemen integreras som ett system och inverkan av olika åtgärder betraktas. Huvudsyftet är att minska systemkostnaden för det totala systemet.

Arbetet är genomfört med kraftbonusmetoden, en marginalsyn på el där all ny elproduktion beräknas ersätta kolkondensproducerad el. Allokeringen för utsläpp vid kraftvärmeproduktion är också beräknad med kraftbonusmetoden.

För simulering har optimeringsprogrammet Modest använts. En konstruktion av datormodeller av energisystemen vid Göteborg Energi och Volvo Cars har gjorts. Systemen kan kopplas mot varandra och hur åtgärder som introduceras på det ena systemet påverkar det andra kan studeras.

Åtgärder som studerats med hjälp av simuleringsmodellerna:

• Elpris höjt till europeisk nivå
• En sammankoppling av fjärrvärmenäten vid Volvo Cars och Göteborg Energi
• Fjärrvärmekonverteringar vid Volvo Cars

Viktiga slutsatser av arbetet:

• Höjt elpris både ökar vinsten ordentligt och minskar de globala utsläppen för energisystem med både el- och värmeproduktion
• Sammankoppling av två system är ekonomiskt lönsamt då de ligger nära varandra
• Fjärrvärmekonverteringar på Volvo lönar sig inte ekonomiskt i dagsläget men blir betydligt mer intressant om elpriset i Sverige ökar till europeiskt elpris
• Det räcker med att det svenska elpriset ökar till dagens europeiska nivå för att skuggpriset på fjärrvärme skulle bli negativt under sommarmånaderna. Detta under förutsättning att ett kraftvärmeverk ligger på marginalen för värmeproduktion

This report observes the energy systems at Göteborg Energi and Volvo Cars, Torslanda. The systems are integrated as one system and the influence of different measures is evaluated. The main purpose is to reduce the total cost of the integrated system.

This work use the power bonus method, a margin perspective view where all additional electricity production is calculated to replace condense power. The allocation for emissions at a combined heat and power plant is also calculated with the power bonus method.

The data is simulated with the optimisation program Modest. Using computer models for the energy systems at Göteborg Energi and Volvo Cars the systems have been connected. The results from measures on one of the systems can be evaluated in the complete system.

Evaluated measures using the computer models:

• Electricity price raised to European levels
• A connection between the district heating networks at Göteborg Energi and Volvo Cars
• Conversions to district heating in Volvo Cars network

Important conclusions in this report:

• Raised electricity prices increases the profit vastly and reduces the global emissions for energy systems with combined heat and power production
• Connecting two nearby district heating networks is profitable
• Conversions to district heating at Volvo Cars is not profitable in the present situation but gains interest if electricity prices in Sweden increases to a European level
• An electricity price on the present European level is enough to make the shadow prices for heat negative during the summer months if a combined heat and power plant is on the margin for heat production

In an ever changeable and globalized world with new economic and global competitors competing for the same customers and resources, is increasing the pressure on organizations' competitiveness. In addition, organizations faces additional challenges due to an ever-growing amount of data and the ever-bigger challenge of analyzing that data and keeping the data secure. Successful companies are characterized by exploiting their intellectual capital in an efficient manner.[1], [2] Thus, the most valuable asset an organization has today has become its employees' knowledge. To enable this, there is a tool that supports easier handling and optimize the use of knowledge, which is knowledge management.[3] Based on the theoretical framework and careful review as well as analysis of interviews and observations resulted in six essential areas: structure, management, compensation, communication, trust and motivation. The analysis showed that the scientific articles and literature have different perspectives, different definitions and are based on different theories but the essence is that they all finally seems to arrive at the same result and conclusion, although with different viewpoints and perspectives. This is regardless of whether the focus is on management style, rewards or communication they all focus on the individual. The conclusion is that organizational culture affects knowledge management and dissemination of information, because of its direct impact on the individual. The largest and most important underlying factor why we choose to participate in improvement work or share knowledge is our motivation. Motivation is the reason for and the reason behind our actions. The recommendation is therefore a continued effort to provide employees with tools to better communicate and share knowledge. In addition, to further strengthen the motivation of employees an increased presence of management at the shop floor is recommended.  [1] Ichijo & Nonaka, 2007 [2] Tohidinia & Mosakhani, 2010 [3] Wallach, 1983, p.35

Arbetet grundar sig i fordonsindustrins returprocess av reservdelar. Returer och hanteringen av dessa är en del av värdekedjan som de senaste åren ökat allt mer. Där av är studiens syfte att undersöka vilka förbättringsmöjligheter som finns inom fordonsindustrin. Arbetet utfördes hos Volvo Cars Global Customer Service och avgränsades därmed till att undersöka hur återförsäljare av reservdelar för Volvo originaldelar ser på processen. Studien genomfördes genom analys av nuläget samt intervjuer både med Volvos egna säljbolag och andra företag i branschen. Studiens frågeställningar syftade till att identifiera vilka delar av processen som förbättringar bör fokuseras till, samt konkreta förbättringsåtgärder för dessa. De resultat som studien gett upphov till är bland annat att processen i vissa fall är komplicerad och att det finns ett missnöje i de system som används för att lägga en retur. Många återförsäljare anser att det läggs allt för mycket tid på att undersöka och kontrollera returer istället för att godkänna dem och kontrollera därefter. Resultaten är viktiga på så sätt att de förbättringsförslag som ges kan underlätta för återförsäljare och på sikt även kunna minska ledtider, för en mer effektiv process.
Processing and managing automotive parts have increased in recent years, and consequently increased the costs for companies. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the possibilities of optimizing the spare parts return process within the car industry. This thesis was carried out at Volvo Cars Global Customer Service, and thus limited the investigation on how their resellers of spare parts acknowledged the process in its entirety. The study was conducted by analysing the current situation, including interviews with representatives from Volvo’s sales department and other companies within the same industry. The aim of the study was to specifically identify areas of the return process, which could be more efficient. Furthermore, concrete improvements were then presented as solutions to the identified weak points. The following results obtained from the study shows, in some cases, that the return process is considered as very complicated. Moreover, there is a noticeable dissatisfaction amongst retailers regarding the system, which manages the return of spare parts. The opinion of many retailers is that it takes to much time to investigate and work beforehand instead of approving returns and then checking. The results yielded in this thesis shows the importance on how the proposed improvements can facilitate retailers, and, in long term, reduce the lead times for a more efficient process.

The aim of this thesis is to map the current internal information flow at Volvo Uddevalla, to detect obstacles in the flow and to find out how these obstacles can be avoided. The aim is also to describe how a corporation, in this particular case Volvo Uddevalla, creates knowledge and use information. The study is performed in order to create a base for the coming implementation of a new information standard. The method used is conducting an information audit investigating the current management of documentation according to the changes that have to be made to carry out the claims from the standard. The investigation is made by way of interviews with 16 of the employees at Volvo Uddevalla. The study shows that knowledge is created at Volvo Uddevalla through a process involving the employees needs, the way the information is stored, organized, distributed and used. It also shows that information is used at Volvo Uddevalla in order to create knowledge, to generate understanding of a phenomenon and to support decision making, on an individual as well as a company level. The study also shows that information at Volvo Uddevalla flows without problem on a daily basis, but that the absence of overview and control of the flow creates problems when individuals can not be reached. Although the interviews showed that most of the personnel dont experience the current information situation as problematic, the information audit detected some gaps in the corporations communication. This study points to these gaps and gives suggestions on how to overcome them.
Uppsatsnivå: D

AbstractThere is a great diversity in marketing strategies that brands can use to develop their name, image and products. The selection of the appropriate strategy is the basis of the image a brand wants to present and how it will be perceived by the market it attempts to approach.However when a brand aims at different segments of a market it has to adapt its marketing strategy to suit better the new segment compared to the first one. Hence in this thesis our interest has brought us to compare Volvo‟s marketing strategy in Sweden and in France as we study in the first country and we come from the second one. We tried to identify the similarities, the differences, and understand how Volvo manages to evaluate and adapt to the needs and expectations of the different consumers in those two countriesOne of the first things we noticed when arriving in Umeå was the number of Volvo cars in the street in contrast to what we are used to seeing in Paris. We understood that the brand was famous and even natural for the Swedes leaving here, whereas it seemed that the French were not truly aware about the brand‟s products. Thus to comprehend this difference we decided to carry our researches on what defines the brand in the consumer‟s mind: marketing.The method we used to conduct this study was based on the objectivist ontological position and on the positivist epistemological assumption combined to a deductive approach – implying a quantitative study in our case. We used secondary data to create our theoretical framework and then we distributed 100 questionnaires in both countries – 50 each.The observation and the analysis of the results have been divided into two parts in order to elucidate the similarities and differences between the two countries studied. These separated parts then lead to a cross-case observation and analysis.Our conclusion mostly corroborates our assumptions as we observed that the majority of our Swedish respondents had a good idea of what represents Volvo, whereas it is still seen as an outdated car manufacturer for our French sample which does not spot enough advertisement about the new models of the brand and which is more demanding on design. This is why, among other recommendations, we suggest Volvo to advertise more on certain values like ecology which is not well recognized and to focus more on some channels of communication, depending on the location.AbstractThere is a great diversity in marketing strategies that brands can use to develop their name, image and products. The selection of the appropriate strategy is the basis of the image a brand wants to present and how it will be perceived by the market it attempts to approach.However when a brand aims at different segments of a market it has to adapt its marketing strategy to suit better the new segment compared to the first one. Hence in this thesis our interest has brought us to compare Volvo‟s marketing strategy in Sweden and in France as we study in the first country and we come from the second one. We tried to identify the similarities, the differences, and understand how Volvo manages to evaluate and adapt to the needs and expectations of the different consumers in those two countriesOne of the first things we noticed when arriving in Umeå was the number of Volvo cars in the street in contrast to what we are used to seeing in Paris. We understood that the brand was famous and even natural for the Swedes leaving here, whereas it seemed that the French were not truly aware about the brand‟s products. Thus to comprehend this difference we decided to carry our researches on what defines the brand in the consumer‟s mind: marketing.The method we used to conduct this study was based on the objectivist ontological position and on the positivist epistemological assumption combined to a deductive approach – implying a quantitative study in our case. We used secondary data to create our theoretical framework and then we distributed 100 questionnaires in both countries – 50 each.The observation and the analysis of the results have been divided into two parts in order to elucidate the similarities and differences between the two countries studied. These separated parts then lead to a cross-case observation and analysis.Our conclusion mostly corroborates our assumptions as we observed that the majority of our Swedish respondents had a good idea of what represents Volvo, whereas it is still seen as an outdated car manufacturer for our French sample which does not spot enough advertisement about the new models of the brand and which is more demanding on design. This is why, among other recommendations, we suggest Volvo to advertise more on certain values like ecology which is not well recognized and to focus more on some channels of communication, depending on the location.

Bakgrund: Volvo Cars Body Components (VCBC) tillverkar och levererar karosskomponenter till Volvo Cars. För sex år sedan påbörjade VCBC sin implementering av lean production. För att beräkna de kostnader som uppstår i produktionen använder VCBC produktkalkyler. Representanter vid VCBC anser att företaget har problem med höga plåtlager, överproduktion samt problem med att se kostnadssamband. Ett value stream där förbättringsmöjligheter finns är Flöde 1 vid VCBC. Enligt vad Maskell et al. (2011) påstår kan problemen vara effekter av kombinationen mellan lean production och produktkalkyler. Maskell et al. (2011) menar att företag bör beräkna kostnader på hela value stream vid lean production. En modell som gör det och som Maskell et al. (2011) menar att företag bör använda vid lean production är value stream costing. Syfte: Den här studien syftar till att identifiera de kostnader som bör ingå i en VSC-modell för VCBC. Vidare syftar studien till att, med hjälp av första problemformuleringen, beräkna vad den totala kostnaden för Flöde 1 skulle bli om VCBC tillämpar VSC. Studiens syfte är även att undersöka vad införandet av en VSC-modell skulle innebära för VCBC. Metod: Studiens angreppssätt är av kvalitativ art. Då studien har en intervenistisk forskningsstrategi där vi tillämpade aktionsforskning föll det sig naturligt att använda fallstudie som forskningsdesign. För insamling av data har vi använt dokument, arkivmaterial, intervjuer och direkta observationer. Slutsatser: De kostnader som bör ingå i en value stream costing-modell för VCBC är; fastighetskostnad, materialkostnad, avskrivningar, kapitalkostnader, personalkostnader, leasing & hyror samt IT-kostnader. Om VCBC tillämpar value stream costing skulle det resultera i att den årliga kostnaden för Flöde 1 blir; 3 277 524 kronor. Skulle VCBC implementera value stream costing hade det framför allt inneburit att VCBC hade fått en större förståelse för sina value stream, att det hade skapat ett bättre flöde samt att VCBC inte hade behövt spåra historisk data utan att uppföljning kan ske veckovis för att kunna göra förändringar innan det är för sent. Dessutom hade det inneburit att VCBC’s maskiner hade blivit värderade till kalkylmässiga värderingar så att den fysiska kapaciteten är bevarad, samt att genomsnittskostnaden per produkt hade uppgått till 70 kronor per styck istället för den VCBC kalkylerar med idag som är 98 kronor per styck.
Background: Volvo Cars Body Components (VCBC) manufactures and supply body parts for Volvo Cars. It is six years since VCBC began the implementation of lean production. VCBC is using traditional accounting methods to calculate the production costs. Some employees at VCBC consider that the company has problems with high stocks of raw material, overproduction, and trouble seeing relation between costs. One value stream where improvements can be made is at “Flöde 1” at VCBC. As Maskell et al. (2011) say that the problems might be a result from the effects of the combination between lean production and traditional accounting methods. Maskell et al. (2011) argue that costs in lean should be calculated for the entire value stream. A model that makes so and who Maskell et al. (2011) believes should be used in lean is value stream costing. Purpose: This study aims to identify the costs that should be included in a value stream costing-model for VCBC. Furthermore, the study aims to calculate the total cost for “Flöde 1” by using the first research question. Last the study will investigate what the value stream costing model would mean if VCBC includes the method in their lean work. Methodology: The study was performed by using a qualitative research method. Since we used a interventionist research in which we applied action science it was obvious to use case study as a research design. For data collection, we used documents, archival records, interviews and direct observations. Conclusions: The costs that should be included in a value stream costing model for VCBC are; property cost, material cost, depreciation, capital cost, labor cost, costs for leasing and IT cost. If VCBC apply value stream costing it will result in the annual cost for “Flöde 1” to be; 3 277 524 SEK. If VCBC would implement value stream costing it will primary mean that VCBC can get better understanding for their value streams and by this create a better flow. Furthermore, VCBC does not need to track historically data but instead follow-up on a weekly basis to make changes before it is too late. Another change for VCBC if they implement value stream costing is that they have to evaluate their machines so they keep the physical capacity in mind, and that the cost per product will be decreased from 98 SEK to 70 SEK.

Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) spend plenty of resources in developing products and establishing a profitable market. This includes time-consuming investigations, costly research and development processes, as well as a great deal of risk-taking. In comparison, certain companies specialise in fitting aftermarket merchandise to established markets of products. These companies copy existing aftermarket products as they supply the consumer an alternative that is often cheaper. These are regarded as ‘will-fitters’. Not only do will-fitters act within the market without the need for a lengthy R&D process, or exposure to high risk, but they also seize market share and thereby compromise OEM part sales. Will-fitters pose a concrete competitive threat to an automotive OEM in the aftermarket. The aftermarket is considered highly lucrative, as profitability is relatively high when compared to the car sales market. As will-fitters are active in the market, spare part market share is lost and pieces of a highly profitable market are seized by such competitors. This study investigates relevant OEM competition barriers for will-fitter deterrence and analyses the effects of implementing these barriers. The findings are based upon a case study performed at an automotive OEM, i.e. Volvo Cars. The case focuses on the OEM’s engine air filter, which is currently highly exposed to competition from alternative suppliers. Through combining theory regarding product development and entry barriers along with empirical findings at the case company, the study concludes six competition barriers that are relevant for the OEM as it faces will-fitters. These barriers are: patenting a utility, increasing the level of product complexity, raising the necessary financial investments, delivering additional value offerings, obtaining a strong customer value perception, and pricing competitively. The study concludes each of the barriers’ potency in competition deterrence and discusses the effects of implementing those barriers on the products’ underlying costs. Finally, it is concluded that these barriers could be implemented in order to deter competition. However, none of the discussed competition barriers has shown to yield complete market dominance for the OEM, i.e. a market without competitors. Rather, an effect in the form of decreasing the amount of competitors has been noted. Admittedly, reducing the sheer quantity of active market players seems favourableto the OEM, but a direct correlation with increased market share cannot be concluded.
Tillverkare av originalutrustning (Original Equipment Manufacturer, OEM) spenderar stora mängder resurser för att utveckla produkter och etablera vinstdrivande marknader. Detta kräver ett stort risktagande då tid och kostsam utveckling utförs utan garanterade intäkter. Till skillnad från OEM-företagen finns företag som enbart fokuserar på att producera eftermarknadsprodukter till redan etablerade marknader. Dessa företag, benämnda “will-fitters”, kopierar existerande eftermarknadsprodukter och erbjuder kunden ett, oftast, billigare alternativ. Will-fitters affärsmodell utgörs därmed av att agera inom etablerade marknader vilket medför drastiskt minskade produktutvecklingskostnader samt lägre risk. Som en konsekvens av will-fitters intåg i marknaden reduceras försäljningen för OEM-företagen. Will-fitters utgör därmed ett konkret hot inom eftermarknaden för en OEM såsom en biltillverkare. Eftermarknaden är en lukrativ marknad då vinstmarginalerna är höga relativt nybilsförsäljning. Då will-fitters är verksamma i marknaden tar de marknadsandelar och därmed tappar OEM en del av en lukrativ marknad. Denna studie undersöker konkurrenshinder relevanta för en OEM att implementera mot will-fitters och analyserar effekterna av att implementera dessa hinder. Resultaten baseras på en fallstudie utförd hos en biltillverkare, Volvo Cars. Studien fokuserar på biltillverkarens motorluftfilter, vilken är utsatt för konkurrens av will-fitters. Genom att kombinera teori gällande produktutveckling och konkurrenshinder med empiri från det studerade företaget togs sex relevanta konkurrens hinder fram för en OEM som konkurrerar med will-fitters. Dessa hinder är: patentering av en produkt, öka produktens komplexitet, höja de nödvändiga investeringarna, bidra med ökat värde, förbättra kundens uppfattning av produkten, sätta ett konkurrenskraftigt pris. Studien konkluderar konkurrenshindrens potential i att avskräcka konkurrens samt diskuterar hur implementation av hindren påverkar produktens underliggande kostnader. Slutligen påvisar studien att konkurrenshindren kan implementeras i syfte att avskräcka konkurrenter. Dock visar studien även att ingen av konkurrenshindren skapar en marknad utan några konkurrenter. Snarare, så är den påvisade effekten att antalet konkurrenter minskar. Visserligen är en reduktion av antalet konkurrenter i marknaden positivt för en OEM men en direkt korrelation med ökad marknadsandel har inte kunnat påvisas.

Background: The global car industry is going through a process of change where the traditional car companies are being challenged. It is essential for those companies to keep up with the changing market conditions and invest in research and development, if they want to remain competitive in the future market. Volvo Cars is a prominent car manufacturer in Sweden, but is small globally. It was, therefore, adjudged as an interesting company to research with respect to how they address the aforementioned challenges.  Purpose: With an understanding and focus on the car industry’s new challenges, the purpose of this study is to investigate and illustrate Volvo Cars’ future prospective on the global car market. Method: The study has combined quantitative and qualitative approaches, viewed from an inductive perspective. Qualitative interviews were performed to obtain a deeper understanding of the car industry’s challenges, and data from secondary sources were collected in order to quantify Volvo Cars’ performance relative to other car companies. Result: The study determined the main challenges for the future of the personal vehicle sector to be: automation, environment, changing customer demand and digitalization. In addition to the innovation-based challenges mentioned above, the expanding Chinese market has been identified as a challenge for car companies to capitalise on. The expansion of the Chinese market is due to the rapidly increasing middle class, combined with a low car density. The idea that China (and the rest of Asia) will become an important future market is supported by the opinions of many experts and interview respondents who believe that car density in the western world will decline which means strengthen the importance of China as a future market. Volvo Cars face the same challenges as other car manufacturers. However, given their small global significance, Volvo Cars will need to focus and appropriately allocate their resources on only one or two challenges. In terms of investing in research and development, Volvo Cars is at the forefront, with a significant portion of their revenue being dedicated to the area. Conclusion: Given Volvo Cars’ small global significance, they will not have the ability to focus on all challenges. Instead, they must focus their research and development on a select few areas to be able to compete in the future automotive market. This study has identified three major challenges for Volvo Cars: to successfully grow in China (as well as in the rest of Asia), to increase total sales and market share, and to advance within automation and electrical operation. Given that Volvo Cars continue increasing their sales, especially in China, while simultaneously investing in research and development aimed at automation and electric drive, the researchers believe that the future of Volvo Cars is very promising.
Bakgrund: Bilindustrin går igenom en förändringsprocess och de traditionella biltillverkarna står inför stora utmaningar. I och med detta är det viktigt för bilföretagen att hänga med i processen och investera i forskning och utveckling, om de vill konkurrera om framtida marknadsandelar. Volvo Cars är en ledande aktör på den svenska marknaden samtidigt som de är små på den globala marknaden, vilket väcker ett intresse hos forskarna att studera företaget med avseende på hur det kommer att hantera dessa framtida utmaningar. Syfte: Syftet är att med utgångspunkt från bilindustrins nya utmaningar undersöka och belysa Volvo Cars framtidsutsikter på den globala bilmarknaden. Metod: Studien bygger på en kombination av kvalitativ och kvantitativ forskningsstrategi med ett induktivt angreppsätt. Kvalitativa intervjuer har genomförts för få en djupare förståelse för bilindustrins utmaningar och sekundärdata har samlats in för att på ett kvantitativt sätt visa hur Volvo Cars förhåller sig gentemot andra bilföretag på den globala marknaden. Resultat: Studien har kommit fram till att de största utmaningarna för bilindustrins framtid handlar om: automatisering, miljö, ägande och digitalisering. Utöver de innovativa utmaningarna har Kina identifierats som en utmaning för bilföretagen. Eftersom Kina har en snabbt ökande medelklass i kombination med att landet har en låg biltäthet förväntas bilförsäljningen i regionen öka. Då många experter och intervjurespondenter anser att försäljningen av bilar kommer minska i västvärlden kommer därför en ökad försäljning i Kina och övriga Asien bli avgörande för många bilföretag. Volvo Cars har samma utmaningar att bemästra som de andra aktörerna på marknaden men eftersom de är en mindre aktör måste de fokusera på en eller två utmaningar och hoppas på att de är rätt. Studien har även visat att Volvo Cars satsar en stor procent av deras omsättning på just forskning och utveckling jämfört med andra (undersökta) aktörer på marknaden. Slutsats: Då Volvo Cars är en liten aktör på den globala marknaden kommer de inte ha möjlighet att satsa på samtliga utmaningar utan måste fokusera sin forskning och utveckling på ett fåtal faktorer för att kunna konkurrera på framtidens bilmarknad. Studien har specificerat tre utmaningar för Volvo Cars att uppnå för goda framtidsutsikter: lyckas växa på den kinesiska (och övriga asiatiska) marknaden och därmed öka den totala försäljningen och marknadsandelarna samt bemästra de innovativa utmaningarna inom automatisering och eldrift. Med det sagt kan forskarna dra slutsatsen att Volvo Cars framtid ser lovande ut förutsatt att de fortsätter öka sin försäljning, framförallt i Kina, samtidigt som de helhjärtat satsar på forskning och utveckling inom områdena automatisering och el-drift.

Examensarbetet inleddes med en förstudie där olika förbättringsområden inom organisationen identifierades. Kommunikation i praktiken kan liknas vid ett förstärkningsverktyg vilket påverkar de vanligaste faktorerna för ett lyckat förändringsarbete. Idag måste en ledare och chef vara kommunikativ och det fungerar inte längre med att peka med hela handen. Medarbetarna måste förstå sin chef och ledare och det måste finnas ett samspel mellan dem. För att chefer och ledare ska styra förändringsprocessen behövs kommunikation. Syfte med examensarbetet är att undersöka hur kommunikationsprocessen kan användas som styrmedel mot en social förändring. Målet med examensarbetet är att beskriva kommunikation för förändring på Volvo i Olofström och att identifiera förbättringsområden inom organisationen. Examensarbetets avsikt är att undersöka olika synvinklar ur kommunikation, ledarskap och förbättringar kring en förändringsprocess. De slutsatser som examensarbetet visar är att kommunikationsprocessen kan användas som styrmedel via information, kommunikation, möten och genom dialog. Kommunikation måste ske via chef och ledare och visuellt ledarskap. Kommunikation innebär att i dialog tala med varandra. Förbättringsarbetet som påbörjats bör fortsätta som del i organisationens förändringsarbete. Utifrån målbeskrivningen - Hur ledare kommunicerar för att uppnå förändringsmål visar resultat att chef/ledare ansvarar för kommunikations-processen när det gäller planering och genomförande av förändring i en arbetsgrupp. Organisationen kan då se chef/ledare som en förändringsledare. Förändringens resultat påverkas av hur kommunikationen genomförs. Förändring och utveckling sker via kommunikation och dialog i en samverkan. Utifrån målbeskrivningen – Hur kommunikation kan leda medarbetare mot förändring bör chef/ledare börja med att diskutera och kommunicera vad det innebär att gå från ett läge till ett annat läge i en LEAN förändring. Vidare visar resultat att chef/ledare behöver studera innebörden av resultat via analys och diskussion men framför allt vad det innebär att ge support och feedback. Strategisk kommunikation kan vara den del som saknas då kommunikation inte förstås. Utifrån målbeskrivningen – Hur Kommunikationen påverkas av LEAN ledarskap på Volvo Personvagnar AB Karosskomponenter (VCBC) noteras i resultatdelen att förändring och ledarskap inte kopplas ihop. Då kan chef/ledare inte utveckla kommunikationsprocessen mot en social förändring.
This thesis work began with a pre-study which intended to identify areas of improvement within the organization. Communication in practice is like a strengthening tool, which affects the most common factors for successful change management. Today, a manager must be communicative; just to point out the direction is not longer working. Employees must understand their manager and leader, and there must be an interaction between them. For managers to guide the change process communications is needed. The purpose of the thesis work is to investigate how the communication process can be used as instruments of social change. The goal of the project is to describe the communication of change at Volvo in Olofström and to identify areas for improvement within the organization. The intention is to examine different perspectives from communication, leadership and improvement on a process of change. The conclusions of the thesis work are that the communication process can be used as instruments through information, communication, meetings, and through dialogue. Communication goes through the manager and leader, and visual management. Communication means dialogue and to talk to each other.  The Improvement work which has started should be continued as part of the organization's change process. The central part of - How leaders communicate in order to achieve the goals of implementation. The responsibility of the communication process lies with the manager / leader for planning and implementing of the change in a workgroup. The organization can see the manager / leader as a leader of change. The results of implementation are affected by how communication is carried out. Change and development is done through communication and dialogue in an interaction. The central part of - How communication can lead people through implementation and development. It is up to the manager / leader to begin to discuss and communicate the meaning of transformation in a LEAN implementation. Furthermore the manager / leader need to study the implications of the results through analysis and discussion, but above all what it means to give support and feedback. Strategic communication can be the part that is missing when communication is not to be interpreted. The central part of - How communication is affected by LEAN leadership at Volvo Cars Body Components (VCBC). Found in the results is that change and leadership can’t connect to each other. In this case manager / leader do not develop the communication process of social change.

In today’s market it is possible to get a competitive advantage with right quality- and safety work to satisfy the customers in the automotive- and manufacturing industry. Today companies are also highly exposed with today’s media and social media which make the quality assurance even more important to avoid bad publicity. This report consists of an investigation about how the automotive- and manufacturing industry work with their suppliers’ to mutually achieve the required quality targets. Toyota Motor Corporation has single handily been a trademark for high quality for a long time in the automotive industry. Their successful organization is based on different principles which have created The Toyota Way. Thus the authors’ of this report has chosen to select some of these principles, which are thought to be appropriate for the reports purpose. The principles are investigated and described so that they can be compared to the case study at Volvo Cars Torslanda. The purpose is to find potential improvement possibilities and recommendations for both Volvo Cars and for the manufacturing industry. The findings and analysis has shown that a more cross-functional way of working in teams between different departments should be used in a greater extension. Thus to achieve greater knowledge in the decision making process concerning the organization and to improve the quality assurance work concerning the suppliers’. Another recommendation is to greater encourage job rotations among the quality engineers concerning the different quality reviews. The authors’ are sure that greater job rotation can encourage better motivation at work and support to become an even more learning organization in addition to achieve the greater quality assurance. With these findings and recommendations the authors’ believe and suggests that further research can be done with a deeper approach towards the specific recommendations to find further improvement possibilities concerning the automotive- and manufacturing industry.

Downsizing in cars lead to higher noise emissions through the addition of turbo-/superchargers. These noise emissions must be counteracted and cancelled in order to contribute to the overall quality feel of a car. This project follows a product development method in order to research if a new type of silencers are applicable in air induction systems in order to dampen noise emissions. The project also cover how to manufacture the new type of silencers, traditionally used as acoustic insulation in offices. The project covered everything from literature review on silencers, noise regulations, downsizing and traditional plastic manufacturing methods. After the analysis of the results, it stood clear that the new silencers are more effective than conventional solutions. A manufacturing process was also determined, which needs further research in order to derive what the manufacturing cost would be. The project resulted in strong indicators that the new silencers are promising but also opened up to new research questions.

Det finns i huvudsak tre väletablerade prissättningsstrategier; kostnadsbaserad,konkurrensbaserad och värdebaserad. Den värdebaserade prissättningsmetoden bestämmer ettpris baserat på produktens värde för användaren. I litteraturen anses den värdebaseradeprissättnings vara överlägsen de två andra prissättningsstrategierna, trots det använder sig deflesta företag av den kostnads- eller konkurrensbaserade strategin.Teoretikerna inom området anser att det finns svårigheter vid implementeringen avvärdebaserad prissättning som gör att företag väljer kostnads- eller konkurrensbaseradprisstrategi. Vi finner det därför intressant att undersöka varför ett företag väljer att frångå sinredan etablerade prissättningsstrategi och prissätta sina produkter utefter värdet som kundenuppelever. Med detta som grund valde vi att undersöka vilka bakomliggande faktorer som kanligga till grund för att adoptera värdebaserad prissättning samt vem eller vilka som styr ensådan organisationsförändring.Vår teoretiska referensram förklarar vad värdebaserad prissättning innebär samt vad somkrävs för att metoden effektivt ska implementeras. Vi har kopplat vår studie till signalteorioch institutionell teori. Empirin utgörs av material från intervjuer och observation som hargenomförts på Volvo Cars. Då Volvo Cars precis har börjat implementera värdebaseradprissättning på sina produkter har vi undersökt vad som gjorde att de valde att bytaprissättningsstrategi, vilka svårigheter de har haft, vilka som är delaktiga i processen samt ifallderas lönsamhet har ökat på grund av en ny prissättningsstrategi. Vi har genomfört vår studiegenom semistrukturerade intervjuer med personer som arbetar aktivit med prissättning hosVolvo Cars. Vi har även genomfört en observation genom att ta del av ett revenue forum däralla prissättningsfrågor presenteras och beslutas.I analysen har vi bearbetat empiri och teori som vi har samlat in under studien. Från våranalys bygger vi våra slutsatser som indikerar på att företag väljer att bytaprissättningsstrategi eftersom att de vill bli mer effektiva eller att deras tidigare prisstrategiinte är kompatibel i och med att företaget exempelvis genomgår produktförbättrinarg. Attlönsamheten ökar i takt med att företaget byter prissättningsstrategi behöver inte endast beropå att företaget har en ny prissättningsstrategi. I Volvo Cars fall har lönsamheten förbättrats ikombination av värdebaserad prissättning och bättre produkter. För att lyckas medvärdebaserad prissättning krävs det att företaget har förmåga att skapa medvetenhet om vilkafaktorer som kunderna värdesätter.
There is mainly three well established pricing strategies: cost based, competitor based andvalue based. The value based pricing strategy decides a price on the product based on thevalue for the user. In the litterature the value based princing strategy is considered to besuperior to the other two pricing strategys, even thoug a majority of companies use the costbased or competitor based strategy.Theorists in the field consider two difficulties with implementing value based pricing thatmake companies to choose cost based or competitor based pricing strategy. Therefore we findit interesting to investigate why a company choose to abandon their established pricingstrategy and price their products based on the value for the customer. On this bases wechoosed to investigate which underlying factors there might be for adopting value basedpricing and to study who controls this kind of organizational change.Our theoretical framework explains what value based pricing is and what is necessary to makethe implementation of the method effective. We have made a connection between our studyand signalling theory and insitutional theory. The emperical data is based on material from theinterviews and observations that we have made at Volvo Cars. Since Volvo Cars just recentlystarted implementing value based pricing on their products, we have studied what made themchange pricing strategy, what difficulties they have had, who are involved in the process andif their profitability has increased due to the new pricing strategy. We have made our studywith semi structured interviews with people who activly works with pricing at Volvo Cars.We have also made a observation by participating in a ”revenue forum” where all pricing arepresented and determined.We have combined the emperical data and the theoretical data in the analysis. From ouranalysis we build our conclusions that indicates on that a company choose a different pricingstrategy because they want to be more effective or that the previous pricing strategy doesn’tmatch with for exampel a company’s new product strategy. That the profitability exceeds atthe same time as the company change pricing strategy doesn’t have to be a effect of the newpricing strategy. At Volvo Cars the higher profitability is a result of the value based pricingcombined with better products. For a company to be successfull with value based pricing it isimportant that they have the ability to create awareness of which factors that the customervalues.

This report describes the development of a web site for co-workers on leave of absence at Volvo Cars Engine AB and graduated students at Volvo Upper Secondary School in Skövde. The aim of the web site is to be a complement to existing communication channels in the promotion of the contact between the target group and the company. The work was divided into two parts; the first consisting of a preliminary study used to identify the information which the target group finds absent in their absence from their place of work/school, and the second part consisting of the development of a proposition of content layout and web site design. The finished proposition was presented along with a couple of alternatives for the technical implementation. The information department at Volvo Cars Engine AB in consultation with Volvo Cars IT will carry on the implementation, administration and further development of the proposed solutions.

Denna rapport beskriver utformningen av en webbportal för tjänstlediga medarbetare vid Volvo Cars Engine AB och utexaminerade elever vid Volvogymnasiet i Skövde. Syftet med portalen är att fungera som ett komplement till de befintliga kommunikationskanalerna i främjandet av kontakten mellan målgruppen och företaget. På sikt är målet att de tjänstlediga och utexaminerade eleverna ska välja att återkomma och satsa på olika karriärvägar inom Volvo.

Arbetet bestod av två delar. I den första delen genomfördes en förstudie för att identifiera information som målgruppen tycker sig sakna vid deras frånvaro från arbetsplatsen/gymnasiet. Förstudien realiserades med intervjuer med ägarna och nyckelpersoner på företaget, samt med telefonintervjuer med ett slumpmässigt urval från målgruppen. Resultatet av förstudien användes i arbetets andra del som gick ut på att skapa ett förslag på innehållslayout och design av webbportalen. Den andra delen av arbetet delades in i fyra faser. Under de fyra faserna togs det fram ägar- och målgruppsanalys, innehålls- och kravspecifikation, sidstruktur och layout samt grafisk design för webbportalen, med tonvikt på användarvänlighet enligt rekommendationer från Jakob Nielsen. Utformningen av layouten och designen hade p.g.a. företagets policy utgångspunkt i företagskulturen vad gäller design och layout på de externa webblösningarna.

Ett antal alternativ för den tekniska lösningen togs också fram. Dessa är open-source CMS på externt webbhotell, Volvo Cars portallösning på Volvo Cars webbserver, samt Fronter-portal på företaget DoubleClick AB´s server.

Det färdiga förslaget presenterades tillsammans med ett antal alternativ för den tekniska lösningen. Implementationen, förvaltningen och vidareutvecklingen av de föreslagna lösningarna drivs vidare av informationsavdelningen på Volvo Cars Engine AB i samråd med Volvo Cars IT

Background: In recent years, interest towards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has increased, more specifically, the economic, environmental, and social impacts large corporations have on society. This has led to the increase in transparency of practices in CSR disclosure, and number of sustainability reports published in general. In particular, the automotive industry has proved to be quite unsustainable, and is heavily focusing on its sustainable impacts. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to answer why practices in CSR disclosure are an increasingly important phenomena, and more specifically, why companies engage in them. This is done by having Volvo Cars as a case study and analyzing its annual and sustainability reports for the years from 2018 to 2020. Method: The framework used to analyze the results is Carroll’s pyramid of CSR, and thus, examining four dimensions of CSR: economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic. The results were further analyzed through stakeholder theory, in order to distinguish which practices in CSR disclosure were aimed at affecting the company’s primary, secondary, and both primary and secondary stakeholders, respectively, and conclude why companies in the automotive industry engage in CSR. Conclusion: The conclusions of the study are that Volvo Cars is a company, which heavily emphasizes on its sustainable activities and aims at achieving a competitive advantage via its practices in CSR disclosure, by affecting all stakeholder groups. Thus, the reason practices in CSR disclosure are becoming increasingly important is because companies see it as a means of positioning themselves in today’s highly competitive environment, and thus, achieving a competitive advantage.

Volvo Cars Corporation creates robot programs off-line for all new robot implementations for virtual commissioning. These virtually created robot programs are then downloaded to the real robot, after the installation has been carried out, to be tested before they are fully operational. These tests are spanned from robot installation until full production, adjusting the robot programme according to Volvo Cars specification and correcting errors that the robot program may have. Changes of the robot programs will be saved each time it is modified, generating a series of backups for each robot until the robot is correctly adjusted along all the steps of the process. To improve the offline programming there is a necessity for visualize the modifications made during the physical robot commissioning. The objective of this thesis is to identify, categorise, quantify and visualize modifications between each different backup of a robot. A software application has been developed using Microsoft Visual Studio using C#. The application is designed in windows for different types of data. It enables the user to compare two robot programs (two different backup programs from the tests) from one robot and see the result between them graphically. The graphs are designed interactively so that the user can filter the information to see the desired data from the robot programs comparison. Key performance indicators (KPIs) has been specified for RobTargets and Procedures according to Volvo Cars Corporation requests. These KPIs are implemented and visualised in a graphical representation.

Volvo Cars Skövde ska år 2018 implementera en ny motormodell i Skövdefabriken, vilket kommer leda till en kraftigt ökad variantflora av artiklar i produktionslinjens materialfasad i takt med att motorvarianterna ökar. Det kommer innebära att den nuvarande materialfasaden inte kommer att kunna klara av den kommande ökningen av artiklar. Därför kommer detta arbete utforma förslag för hantering av materialet genom kitt- och sekvensplockning utanför produktionslinjen, dels för att få ett effektivt materialflöde men också för att företaget på sikt ska kunna ta emot ännu fler artiklar. De huvudsakliga målen med projektet var att ta fram förslag på hur arbetsplatsutformningen för en kitt- respektive sekvensplockstation kan se ut, samt hur materialflödet ska hanteras till och från dessa stationer. För att genomföra detta har en form av PDCA-metod använts för att strukturera upp arbetet. Relevant litteratur om teorin och studier inom liknande områden har granskats för att samla in kunskap inom området. De metoder som genom tidigare arbeten visat sig vara framgångsrika var intervjuer, observationer och benchmarking som även detta projekt använt sig av för att samla in data. Resultatet är baserat på insamlad data som tagits fram och presenterar olika layoutförslag på hur en kitt- respektive sekvensplockstation kan se ut med hänsyn till kvalitetssäkring och effektivitet av plockmönster, ergonomi, leveranssäkerhet och vilket ytbehov som krävs för dessa plockstationer. Men även hur materialflödet till och från dessa stationer ska hanteras på ett effektivt sätt. Prototypskisser på framtagna transportmedel och hjälpmedel för detta materialhanteringssätt har tagits fram till företaget för att fortsätta utveckla och arbeta vidare med, inför implementeringen av nästa generations motor år 2018.
Volvo Cars Skövde will in year 2018 implement a new engine model in Skövde plant, which will lead to a greatly increased variety of the articles in the material facade at the production line when the engine variants increases. However, the current material facade will not be able to cope with the future increase of articles. Therefore, design proposals for the handling of the material by using kit- and sequence picking externally from the production line have been proposed. Hence, handling these operations externally may lead to an efficient material flow, but also enables handling more articles when the engine variants increase. The main objective of the project was to develop proposals on how workplace design for a kit- and sequence picking station may look like, and how the flow of material should be handled to and from these stations. To implement this, a form of a PDCA-method has been used to structure the work. Relevant literature on the theory and studies in similar areas has been reviewed to gather knowledge in this area. Successful methods used in other studies, i.e. interviews, observations and benchmarking, were also used in this project to collect data. The results based on the collected data generated, present different layout suggestions of a kit- and sequence picking station, with regard to quality assurance and efficiency of the picking patterns, ergonomics, reliability of delivery and the total area required for these picking stations. It will also manage the flow of materials to and from these stations that should be handled in an efficient way. Prototype sketches of proposed way of transport and aid for the material handling have been developed for the company, which will be a base for continued work before the implementation of the next generation engine in year 2018.

Today, a large amount of raw data are available within manufacturing industries. Unfortunately, most of it is not further analyzed in search of valuable information regarding the optimization of processes. In the painting process at the Volvo plant in Umeå, adjusted settings on the process equipments (e.g. robots, machines etc.) are mostly based on the experience of the personnel rather than actual facts (i.e. analyzed data). Consequently, time- and cost waste caused by defects is obtained when painting the commercial heavy-duty truck bodies (cabs). Hence, the aim of this masters thesis is to model the quality as a function of available background- and process data. This should be presented in an automated alarm and root-cause system. A variety of supervised learning algorithms were trained in order to estimate the probability of having at least one defect per cab. Even with a small amount of data, results have shown that such algorithms can provide valuable information. Later in this thesis work, one of the algorithms was chosen and used as the underlying model in the prototype of an automated alarm system. When this probability was considered as too high, an intuitive root-cause analysis was presented. Ultimately, this research has demonstrated the importance and possibility of analyzing data with statistical tools in the search of limiting costs- and time waste.

Purpose        The overall purpose is to describe how manufacturing companies involve customers in order to develop new innovations that meet customers’ needs, and furthermore illustrate how the customer involvement process can be managed. By investigating companies in similar industries where the degree of technology and pace of innovation is high, we clarify how, when and with who companies can engage activities for customer involvement.  Method In this qualitative study, we use a deductive approach, where individual interviews were conducted in two case companies.  Theoretical framework In the theoretical framework we introduce the DART-model, in which building blocks of the interaction between companies and customers are treated. Connected to this, we discuss problems regarding transferring customer needs and receiving customer input. Furthermore we highlight conflicting methods of customer involvement, different types of customers to involve and different stages in which the interaction should take place.  Empirical study Empirical data were collected through personal interviews with six business managers at the headquarters of Electrolux and Volvo Cars.  Conclusion  In contrary to the overwhelming literary hype of open innovation where companies are suggested to actively co-create value together with the customers, our findings indicate that companies learn proactively from passive customers in the early stages of the NPD-process to acquire unarticulated needs in order to create customer value. These are conscious decisions to avoid opening up the companies to the customers in terms of transparency and access. This subsequently accompanies the further process for how, when and who to involve, as the process goes from proactive towards stepwise more traditional reactive methods of customer involvement for product innovation

The Swedish car manufacturer, Volvo Cars, are a pioneer in the automotive industry regarding vehicle safety. Ever since they invented the three-point seat belt, the safety aspect has been their main priority. Today, a car is equipped with new technology and is highly dependent on software solutions. This implies that software features are used to increase the safety of the car. The level of uncertainty increases with the new features, which highlights the importance of creating a robust product to avoid potential problems. During the last decade, the DCOV approach (Define – Characterize – Optimize – Verify) evolved to create a product that is insensitive to variation and appreciated by the customers. Volvo Cars are currently developing a camera monitoring system (CMS) that is supposed to replace the conventional rear-view mirror with an exterior camera and an interior display. The purpose of this master’s thesis is to develop a robust design for the CMS that satisfies the customers. By using the DCOV approach, the aim is to identify potential risks and failure modes to avoid hardware and software related problems, and at the same time, develop a product that is based on the voice of the customer. This thesis demonstrates the problems with the conventional mirrors and the parking assistance cameras, which are associated with the folding function, the mirror adjustment, and the wide-angle module. The analysis of customer surveys indicates that blind spot indicators are appreciated by the customers while the mirror size is a critical factor. The mirrors need to be large enough to provide a good rear-view visibility, but small enough to maintain good forward visibility. A parameter diagram, robustness checklist and a system failure mode and effect analysis (S-FMEA) were conducted to identify risks, noise factors and failure modes with the CMS. It resulted in 44 failure modes where six of them were considered as critical, which means a high level of severity or frequent occurrence. The six critical failure modes were identified at the S-FMEA meetings with the business units Manufacturing, Display systems, Electromagnetic compatibility and CMS camera. Three business units were software related, which shows the difficulties with the transition from a hardware related rear-view mirror to the CMS. The recommendations for Volvo Cars are divided into two categories, where the first is associated with the CMS and should be seen as a continuation of this thesis. Volvo Cars should complete the S-FMEA and the included actions. By conducting the recommendations for the CMS, it will be properly tested to resist noise factors and manage potential variation. The long-term recommendations are proposals for future actions, which include a CMS for the inner mirror and investigate BLIS options. If the recommendations are considered, it will increase the possibility of creating a robust design, based on the voice of the customer. The result of this study highlights the power of the DCOV approach, as it clearly shows that it is possible to reduce the warranty costs. If the folding function is excluded, and the CMS software becomes easy to update, the warranty costs could be reduced by SEK 5 million.

Dagens dynamiska marknader präglas av egenskaper såsom förändring och utveckling. Denna karaktärisering ställer således höga krav på ett företags förmåga att anpassa sig efter rådande marknadsmiljö. När företag ställs inför olika beslut, för i vilken riktning verksamheten ska styras, är det väsentligt att ett grundligt beslutsunderlag plockas fram. Beslutsunderlaget kan följaktligen förmedla en bild av hur olika potentiella beslutsfattande kan innebära en förändrad riktning för företaget. Syftet med arbetet gick i sin helhet ut på att undersöka om utrustning som utnyttjas inom dagens produktion bör återanvändas till framtida flöde eller ej. Genom att analysera vilka produktionskostnader som respektive utrustning belastar företaget med, i relation till riskanalys av olika investeringsmöjligheter, erhåller företaget ett grundligt beslutsunderlag. För att jämförelsen mellan återanvändning och investering ska förmedla en korrekt verklighetsbild utifrån data har aspekter såsom hållbar utveckling, kvalitetsstyrning, lean management och ekonomistyrning tagits i beaktande. Arbetet har utgått från en kvantitativ studie där data inhämtats från specifika databaser för att sedan bearbetas och sammanställas till ett analyserbart resultat. Inhämtade data avser att spegla huvudpunkter inom produktionskostnader som uppstått i koppling till undersökt utrustning. Vid framtagning av analys påvisades det att återanvändning både kan leda till tänkbara fördelar men också nackdelar för företaget. Det som är en huvudfaktor, för vilket beslut som är attraktivt för företaget, är målstyrningen. En viktig aspekt, som framkom under arbetets gång, var den betydelsefulla omfattningen av att ett företags ekonomiska mål genomsyras av strategiarbete med avseende på kvalitet och hållbarhet. En annan slutsats som framkom genom arbetet, var att beroende på om företaget vill anta ett kortsiktigt eller långsiktigt perspektiv skiljer sig de potentiella fördelarna och nackdelarna sig åt med återanvändning av utrustning. Det är således inte endast analys av produktionskostnader som påvisar om det är ekonomiskt försvarbart med investering i ny utrustning, utan även vilka aspekter som är prioriterade för verksamheten och dess målstyrning.
Today's dynamic markets are characterized by characteristics such as change and development. This characterization thus places high demands on a company's ability to adapt to the prevailing market environment. When companies are faced with different decisions, in which direction the business should be directed, it is essential that a thorough decision basis is drawn up. The decision basis can consequently convey a picture of how different potential decision-making decisions can mean a change of direction for the company. The purpose of the work was in its entirety to investigate whether equipment used in current production should be reused for future flow or not. By analyzing which production costs each equipment burdens the company with, in relation to risk analysis of various investment opportunities, the company maintains a thorough decision basis. In order for the comparison between reuse and investment to convey and correct picture of reality based on data, aspects such as sustainable development, quality management, lean management and financial management have been taken into account. The work has been based on a quantitative study where data has been collected from specific databases and then processed and compiled into an analyzable result. The data collected is intended to reflect key points in production costs that have arisen in connection with the equipment examined. When producing analysis, it was shown that reuse can both lead to possible advantages but also disadvantages for the company. What is a major factor for necessary decisions that are attractive to the company, is goal management. An important aspect, which emerged during the work, was the significant extent to which a company's financial goal is permeated by strategy work with regard to quality and sustainability. Another conclusion, which emerged from the work, was that depending on whether the company wants to adopt a short-term or long-term perspective, the potential advantages and disadvantages are addressed. It is thus not only an analysis of production costs that shows whether it is economically justifiable to invest in new equipment, but also which aspects are prioritized for operations and their goal management.

Idag implementerar allt fler företag CSR-strategier i sina verksamheter. Trots att många konsumenter tycker att det är viktigt att företag engagerar sig i hållbarhetsfrågor är det ändå inte speciellt många som är medvetna om vilka som engagerar sig och hur de engagerar sig. Att kommunicera kring sitt engagemang blir därför en avgörande faktor för organisationer som vill skapa trovärdighet och förstärka sitt varumärke. Tidigare forskning pekar på att det är en svår och komplicerad uppgift att kommunicera kring CSR. Syftet med denna uppsats är att få en ökad förståelse för hur biltillverkaren Volvo Cars kommunicerar CSR på sin webbplats. Studien undersöker både hur kommunikationen är uppbyggd utifrån textens stil och meddelandets innehåll men också hur frekvent företaget kommunicerar sitt ekonomiska, sociala och miljömässiga engagemang samt hur kommunikationen är inramad mot företagets primära intressentgrupper utifrån de tre motiven från triple bottom line-teorin. Volvo Cars är intressant att undersöka i detta sammanhang eftersom företaget är en del av en bransch som har en stor inverkan på miljön. Dessutom beskriver företaget sig själv som aktiv deltagare i hållbarhetsfrågor. Studien har genomförts genom en tillämpning av två kvalitativa innehållsanalyser och en kvantitativ innehållsanalys. Data har hämtats från Volvo Cars landningssida för hållbarhet och från företagets hållbarhetsrapport från 2015. Materialet har analyserats utifrån triple bottom line-teorin, intressentmodellen och ett konceptuellt ramverk för CSR-kommunikation. Uppsatsens resultat visar att Volvo Cars CSR-kommunikation är relationsbyggande och innehåller ett förhållandevis komplicerat och “tungt” språk. Företaget kommunicerar sitt engagemang kring miljö mest frekvent och kommunikationen är inramad väldigt olika till de respektive intressentgrupperna.
Today, more and more companies are implementing CSR-strategies into their businesses. Although many consumers find it important that companies engage in sustainability issues, there are still not that many who are aware of who engages and how they engage. Therefore, it is essential for organizations to communicate about their CSR engagement in order to create credibility and maximize business returns. Previous research show that communicating CSR is a difficult and complicated task. The purpose of this thesis is to create an increased understanding in how the car manufacturer Volvo Cars communicates its CSR commitment on their corporate website. The study examines how the communication is structured based on style and message content, how often Volvo Cars communicate their economic, social and environmental commitments and how the communication is framed to various stakeholder groups based on the three motives from the triple bottom line theory. Volvo Cars is interesting to investigate in this context since the company is part of an industry that has a major impact on the environment. In addition, the company also describes itself as an active participant in sustainability-issues. The study has been conducted by using two qualitative and one quantitative content analysis. The data was collected from Volvo Cars landing page of sustainability and from the company's sustainability report from 2015. The data has been analyzed based on the triple bottom line-theory, the stakeholder model and a conceptual framework for CSR-communication. The findings of this thesis show that Volvo Cars CSR-communication is relationship building and contains a relatively complicated and “heavy” language. The company communicates its commitment about environment most often and the communication is framed very differently to various stakeholder groups.

Denna magisteruppsats i ekonomisk historia har som syfte att utforska varför den svenska bilparken är mer bränslekrävande än genomsnittet i Europa, samt att identifiera de historiska processer som påverkat formandet av den svenska bilparken. Tidigare miljöinriktad forskning inom ekonomisk historia har fokuserat på strukturomvandling och institutionell förändring inom industri- och hushållssektorn. Denna studie utforskar den privata transportsektorn genom att studera Volvo som varit tongivande i att forma sammansättning av den svenska bilparken. Genom att studera två av Sveriges största biltidningar – Teknikens värld och Volvos egen konsumenttidning, Ratten – samt årsberättelser och hållbarhetsrapporter från Volvo, har historien om varumärket Volvo och Volvos relation till miljön utforskats.  Volvo antog ’kvalitet’ och ’säkerhet’ som kärnvärden vid starten 1927. ’Omsorg om miljön’ lades till som ett tredje kärnvärde 1972 vilket antas vara av relevans för hur Volvo byggt sin identitet. Hur Volvo tolkat ’omsorg om miljön’ i relation till sitt varumärke och hur det integrerats i företagets produktionsprocesser är utgångspunkter för uppsatsens undersökande del som sträcker sig från 1972 till 2014.  Resultatet visar på att begreppet ’miljö’ har omtolkats av Volvo och följt den samhälleliga diskursen ganska väl. Från att handla om den lokala ’arbetsmiljön’ och det som kopplas därtill, till att handla om regionala utsläpp av partiklar för att till sist innefatta ett globalt perspektiv. Resultatet visar också att Volvo på grund av höga kostnader för arbetare och en stor efterfrågan från den amerikanska marknaden drivits till att producera stora och dyra bilar som drar mycket bränsle. På grund av att Volvo inte kunnat konkurrera med höga försäljningsvolymer har man istället satsat på säkra och hållbara bilar som kunnat bringa högre vinstmarginaler.  Efter krisen på 1990-talet och ett byte av ledarskap från Pehr G. Gyllenhammar till Sören Gyll, visar resultatet att ’omsorg om miljön’ fick en mer framskjuten roll i Volvos varumärkesbyggnad. Samtidigt beslutades att Volvo skulle ta ytterligare steg mot att tillverka bilar i premiumsegmentet vilket var svårt att kombinera med miljöhänsyn vad gäller bränsleförbrukning.  Slutsatserna som dragits från denna uppsats är att Volvo efter andra världskriget lyckades skaffa sig en ’pionjärsfördel’ – pioneering advantage – genom en stark introduktion av PV 444/544-modellerna på 1940- och 1950-talet och att man sedan kunnat använda denna fördel för att omtolka svenskars preferenser att välja bränslekrävande bilar. Detta innebär att företag, om de vill, har möjlighet att styra konsumenter mot att välja bättre miljöanpassade produkter. I uppsatsen argumenteras för att avsättningsmarknader spelar stor roll för möjligheten för företag att ställa om produktionen till att leverera ’grönare’ produkter.

The study was conducted in collaboration with Volvo Cars in the spring of 2019. The study examined the leadership of workshop managers in Sweden, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Belgium and Poland. The purpose of the study was to investigate how leadership can be developed to increase the possibilities for successful implementations of Volvo Personal Service and to investigate which parts of Lean Leadership are required for Volvo Cars to be able to run and develop the leadership of VPS workshops successfully. Selected questions for the study would generate which pitfalls could be identified in the workshop managers' leadership based on research and how Volvo Cars would develop the leadership of these workshops in order for them to be more in line with Lean Leadership. The aim of the study has been to generate a written document for Volvo Cars regarding how the company should guide or develop the existing leadership to lay the foundation for successful implementations and continued development of VPS. The thesis is based on a pilot study in which five areas of improvement were mapped to finally decide that the leadership of the workshop managers was the area of improvement that should be investigated deeper. Volvo Cars has noted that the implementation of VPS not always is successful in all workshops and wanted to investigate whether the problem could lie with the workshop managers in Volvo workshops. Case study was chosen as a research strategy for the study, since only one research unit would be investigated, that is, connect Volvo workshops and their workshop managers. The survey was conducted with a qualitative design because the research questions and chosen research strategy were supplemented with a mixed form of data collection to deliver the best possible results for the study. Personal interviews and web surveys were chosen as methods for the data collection. During the pilot study, it emerged that there was suspicion that the leadership conducted by the workshop managers is a form of command and control. The workshop managers also experienced difficulties in changing their leadership and focusing on supporting and developing leadership instead of controlling leadership. The result of the survey shows the total opposite, the workshop managers conduct a coaching leadership with a great focus on the employees' development, their own development and continuous improvements, which also are important elements of Lean Leadership. The conclusions that the study has laid the foundation for are that the workshop managers conduct a leadership that is not at all in line with what Volvo Cars predicted. The workshop managers have shown clearly that they possess characteristics that support Lean Leadership, but they have also proven that in many situations they conduct Lean Leadership and that they are fully capable of changing their own leadership. The result will mainly benefit Volvo Cars and their continued work with VPS, but other organizations in the industry can also use the study's results regarding the new leadership.
Undersökningen har genomförts i samarbete med Volvo Cars under våren år 2019. Vid undersökningen har ledarskapet hos verkstadschefer i Sverige och på marknaderna Spanien, Italien, Brasilien, Chile, Mexiko, Belgien och Polen undersökts. Undersökningens syfte var att undersöka hur ledarskapet kan utvecklas för att öka möjligheterna till lyckade implementeringar av Volvo Personal Servicesamt undersöka vilka delar av Lean Leadership som krävs för att Volvo Cars ska kunna driva och utveckla ledarskapet i VPS-verkstäder på ett framgångsrikt sätt. Valda frågeställningarför undersökningen skulle genera vilka fallgropar som gick att identifiera i verkstadschefernas ledarskap utifrån forskning samt hur Volvo Cars skulle utveckla ledarskapet hos dessa verkstäder för att de ska ligga mer i linje med Lean Leadership. Måletmed undersökningen har varit att undersökningen skulle generera i ett underlag till Volvo Cars gällande hur det ska vägleda eller utveckla det befintliga ledarskapet för att lägga grund för lyckade implementeringar och fortsatt utveckling av VPS. Examensarbetet grundar sig i en förstudie där fem förbättringsområden kartlades för att slutligen besluta om att verkstadschefernas ledarskap var det förbättringsområde som skulle undersökas djupare. VolvoCars har uppmärksammat att implementeringen av VPS inte blir lyckad i alla verkstäder och ville undersöka om problemet kunde ligga hos verkstadscheferna i anslutna Volvo-verkstäder. Fallstudie valdes som forskningsstrategi för undersökningen eftersom enbart en undersökningsenhet skulle undersökas, det vill säga ansluta Volvo-verkstäder och deras verkstadschefer. Undersökningen genomfördes med en kvalitativ design av anledningen att forskningsfrågorna och vald forskningsstrategi skulle kompletterats med en mixad form av datainsamling för att leverera bästa möjliga resultat för undersökningen. Personliga intervjuer och webbenkäter valdes som metoder för datainsamlingen. Vid förstudien framkom det att det rådde misstankar om att det ledarskap som bedrivs av verkstadscheferna är en form av kommando och kontroll. Verkstadscheferna upplevdes även ha svårigheter med att förändra sitt ledarskap och fokusera på ett supporterande och utvecklande ledarskap istället för ett kontrollerande ledarskap. Resultatetav undersökningen visar motsatsen, det vill säga att verkstadscheferna bedriver ett coachande ledarskap med stort fokus på medarbetarnas utveckling, sin egen utveckling och ständiga förbättringar vilket även visar på viktiga grunddelar i Lean Leadership. De slutsatser som studien legat till för är att verkstadscheferna bedriver ett ledarskap som inte alls ligger i linje med vad Volvo Cars förutspått. Verkstadscheferna har visat tydligt att de besitter egenskaper som stödjer Lean Leadership men de har även bevisat att de i många situationer bedriver Lean Leadership och att de är fullt kapabla till att förändra sitt egetledarskap. Resultatet kommer främst gagna Volvo Cars och deras fortsatta arbete med VPS men även andra organisationer inom verkstadsbranschen kan nyttja studiens resultat gällande det nya ledarskapet.

The modern automobile is a complex electromechanical system controlled by control systems which consist of several interdependent electronic control units (ECUs). Analysis of the data generated by these modules is very important in order to observe the interesting patterns among data. At Volvo Cars Corporation today, diagnostic read-out data is retrieved from client machines installed at workshops in different countries around the world. The problem with this data is that it does not show a clear picture as what is causing what i.e. tracking the problem. Diagnostic engineers at Volvo Cars Corporation perform routine based statistical analysis of diagnostic read-out data manually, which is time consuming and tedious work. Moreover, this analysis is restricted to basic level mainly statistical analysis of diagnostic readout data. We present an approach based on statistical analysis and cluster analysis. Our approach focused on analysing the data from a pure statistical stand-point to isolate the problem in diagnostic read-out data, thereby helping to visualize and analyse the nature of the problem at hand. Different general statistical formulae were applied to get meaningful information from large amount of DRO data. Cluster analysis was carried out to get clusters consisting of similar trouble codes. Different methods and techniques were considered for the purpose of cluster analysis. Hierarchical and non-hierarchical clusters were extracted by applying appropriate algorithms. The results obtained from the thesis work show that the diagnostic read-out data consist of independent and interdependent fault codes. Groups were generated which consist of similar trouble codes. Furthermore, corresponding factors from freeze frame data which shows significant variation for these groups were also extracted. These faults, groups of faults and factors were later interpreted and validated by diagnostic engineers.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate how companies can use VR-commercials and commercials to influence brand image. Furthermore, the purpose is to identify which factors in these medias that affect brand image as well as account for the differences between these two medias. Research questions How can companies use VR-commercials and commercials to influence brand image? Which factors affect brand image through VR-commercials and commercials and what is the differences between these two medias? Result VR-commercials and commercials make it possible to influence the brand image. The essay also mentions the identified factors that affect the brand image which are environment, telepresence, memories and associations, noise and disturbances, barriers and music. Contribution The study describes how companies can use VR-commercials and commercials to influence an individual's brand image. The study clarifies the differences between the two medias and the factors that influence the brand image of the interviewees. An analysis model is presented since a gap in the existing knowledge in communications theory was discovered
Problemställning Kommer dagens reklamfilmer vara tillräckliga för att få kunden att lyssna till företag eller kommer det krävas mer av deras marknadsföring för att företag ska lyckas nå ut till sina kunder? Syfte Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur företag kan använda VR-reklam och reklamfilm för att påverka varumärkesimagen. Vidare är syftet att identifiera vilka faktorer i dessa medier som påverkar en individs varumärkesimage samt redogöra för eventuella skillnader de två medierna sinsemellan. Frågeställningar Hur kan företag använda VR-reklam respektive reklamfilm för att påverka varumärkesimagen? Vilka faktorer påverkar varumärkesimagen via VR-reklam respektive reklamfilm och vad skiljer dessa medier åt? Resultat Genom VR-reklam och reklamfilm går det att påverka varumärkesimagen. I uppsatsen nämns även de identifierade faktorer som har påverkan på denna vilka är miljö, telenärvaro, minnen och associationer, brus och störningar, barriärer och musik. Kunskapsbidrag I studien beskrivs hur företag kan använda VR-reklam och reklamfilm för att påverka en individs varumärkesimage. I studien klargörs de skillnader som finns mellan medierna och vilka faktorer som har påverkat intervjupersonernas varumärkesimage. En egen analysmodell presenteras då en lucka i den befintliga kommunikationsteorin upptäcktes.

Företag kan använda sig av olika strategier för underhåll. Det kan vara avhjälpande underhåll som utförs först när ett fel uppkommer eller förebyggande underhåll. Ofta används en kombination av båda. Det förebyggande underhållet kan vara förutbestämt eller tillståndsbaserat. Fördelar med att använda sig av tillståndsbaserat underhåll är exempelvis att utbyte av enheter inte behöver ske i onödan utan först när en observation visar att ett fel är på väg att ske. Vid val av förebyggande underhåll kan RCM-metoden användas för att utröna vilka feltillstånd som kan uppstå och som orsakar funktionsfel. Val av förebyggande underhåll kan baseras på fakta om nya tekniker, felhistorik samt vilken utrustning och kompetens som finns tillgänglig. Volvo Cars i Skövde använder sig just nu av i stort sett likadant förebyggande underhåll på nya verktygsmaskiner som på gamla. Företaget använder sig av tillståndsbaserat underhåll på vissa komponenter och enheter. Det består då främst av inspektioner, subjektiva tillståndskontroller, och vibrationsövervakning på motorspindlar. Genom intervjuer framkommer att nya tekniker sällan införs och att lagda planer sällan ändras. Företaget är dock medvetet om att nya tekniker för tillståndsbaserat underhåll finns och är intresserat av att undersöka om ett utökat tillståndsbaserat underhåll är lämpligt på verktygsmaskiner. De tillståndsbaserade teknikerna som det talats om är främst ballbarmätning, övervakning av processparametrar och geometrisk verifiering. Ett underlag för att se om nya tekniker bör införas togs fram genom datainsamling av felhistorik på maskiner. Avgränsning gjordes genom att en fem år gammal bearbetningslinje för cylinderhuvuden studerades. Genom sortering av data från haverier ur underhållssystemet Maximo från de senaste åren och prioritering genom Paretoprincipen visade det sig att återkommande haverier på kulskruvar finns. Till komponenten finns ett tillståndsbaserat underhåll kopplat, den inspekteras en gång om året. Det är dock sällan som fel på komponenten upptäcks på inspektionen, bara fyra av tjugosju bytta kulskruvar de senaste fem åren är bytta efter anmärkning från inspektion. Genom att kartlägga komponentens haverier på femton verktygsmaskiner och när FU gjorts hittades flera förbättringsmöjligheter. Kostnaden för att byta kulskruv när väl fel uppstått är upp till tio gånger så stor jämfört med att byta den förebyggande. När fel uppstått har det medfört kassationer av producerade detaljer och lång stilleståndstid. Motiv för att införa ett bättre förebyggande underhåll finns därför framför allt i minskade kostnader och ökad tillgänglighet. Företaget rekommenderas att införa ballbarmätning som ett nytt tillståndsbaserat underhåll. Detta för att öka den objektiva kontrollen av mekaniska slitdelar. Mätmetoden är inte helt okänd för företaget och relativt lätt att införa. Den subjektiva kontrollen som görs idag bör göras om för att bättre fånga begynnelse till fel. Kontrollen kräver idag en hel del driftstoppstid vilket gjort att den inte utförts i tid och bör därför kortas ner. Företaget rekommenderas också att undersöka nya metoder för förebyggande underhåll kontinuerligt. Idag finns ingen anställd med uppdraget och för att utveckla underhållet måste företaget hålla sig uppdaterade på nya tekniker.
A company can use different strategies when performing maintenance. One strategy is corrective maintenance where maintenance is carried out after a failure has occurred. Another strategy is preventive maintenance. A combination of the two is often used. The preventive maintenance can be predetermined or condition based. Advantages with the condition based maintenance are e.g. that the replacement of parts can be planned according to observations indicating there’s an increasing risk of failure. When choosing preventive maintenance, the RCM method can be used to determine risk of failure modes and the cause of function failures. Decisions regarding the preventive maintenance should be based on knowledge in new techniques, history of failures and the equipment and competence available. Volvo Cars in Skövde is doing more or less the same preventive maintenance on machine tools regardless of whether it’s a new or old machine. The company is using condition based maintenance on some of the components and units. Mostly it consists of human inspections, a subjective control of the machine’s condition, and spindle vibration analysis. Through interviews it has been determined that new techniques are rarely implemented and that the decided maintenance plan for a machine is rarely changed. The company is aware of the development of new techniques for condition based maintenance and wants to investigate whether it is appropriate to evolve their condition based maintenance on machine tools. The techniques further investigated are measurement with Ball bar, monitoring of process parameters and geometrical verification. To make accurate decisions regarding the implementation of new techniques, a data collection of the history of frequent failures was done. To limit the amount of data a five year old processing line was studied. Data from the maintenance system Maximo was sorted by long failures from the recent years and by prioritizing with the Pareto principle it showed the recurring failures of ball screws. The component do have a condition based maintenance activity today, there is an inspection once a year. However, the inspection is rarely able to predict or find a failure on the ball screw. Four out of twenty-seven ball screws with fault have been changed after inspection over the last five years. By mapping the components failures on fifteen machine tools and when preventive maintenance has been done, several options for improvements were found. The cost of the replacement of a ball screw when a failure has already occurred is as much as ten times the cost of replacement before failure. This is caused by cost of scrap and long down time. A new, improved preventive maintenance task is therefore highly justified. The motif is both reducing the scrap cost related to failure and with increased availability. The company is recommended an investment in Ball bar as a new method for condition based maintenance. It should be used to increase the objective control of the mechanical parts of a machine tool. The method is not totally new for the company and relatively easy to implement. The current subjective control on the machine tools should be revised to increase the probability of finding degradation of functions. Today the activity takes rather long time and has therefore not been done in time, it should be shorter. The company is also recommended to investigate new methods for preventive maintenance continually. Today there is no employee with that mission and to evolve maintenance, the company has to be updated on new techniques.

Abstract

Background:

Between 1991 and 2001 the number of firms acquired by other firms tripled (Johnson & Scholes, 2005). This trend has led to a huge increase in cross-border acquisitions, where Sweden is no exception. Statistics show that companies with U.S. origin are the ones that acquire most Swedish companies (Nutek, 2007). Hence, acquisitions made by U.S. businesses will presumably influence managerial issues in Sweden in different ways.

Problem and purpose:

An industry that is characterized by many merger and acquisitions is the car industry. Ford Motor Company’s acquisition of Volvo Cars is of particular interest to address. Several conditions within the company changed due to the acquisition process, including the type of management. This might have affected Volvo Car’s relation with its labour union IF Metall to some extent, and thus, creating an interesting area of research.

The purpose with this thesis is to investigate how the relation between a labour union and a company is affected when U.S. and Swedish types of management are mixed as a result of an acquisition.

Method:

In order to fulfill the purpose of this thesis a qualitative case study approach is used. The primary data is collected through interviews with people connected to Volvo Cars and IF Metall. In addition to this the authors incorporated secondary data which is based on literature, articles and academic publications.

Conclusions:

When a U.S. company acquire a Swedish company the relation between the labour union and the acquired company are affected in several ways. The labour union and the members can expect to have less influence in the decision making process, there will be less resources devoted to work related training programs, the competence level of the members will decrease and the working conditions will become worse.

Volvo Cars in Skövde manufacture and assemble Volvo engines. When attaching the ignition coil to all 4-cylinder engines, a special mounting tool is required. This mounting tool is currently manufactured from injection-molded polyoxymethylene (POM), a thermoplastic. It has been noted that the life span of the tool is shortened as a result of abrasive wear that occurs during the attachment process of the ignition coil. An investigation of the possibility of manufacturing the mounting tool with a 3D-printer is undertaken in cooperation with ÅF, a consultant to Volvo Cars. A literature study is first presented to introduce broader knowledge on the subject. The abrasive wear and other material characteristics such as tensile strength, compressive strength and elongation of  POM and an alternative material for 3D-printing,  Ultem™, an amorphous thermoplastic polyetherimide are discussed.  These material characteristics are studied further and considered in tandem with both a theoretical analysis and a wear experiment, based on the pin-on-disc method. It is shown in the theoretical analysis that the wear is approximately six times larger for Ultem™ when compared to POM. The wear resistance of Ultem™ is highest when wear occurs parallel to the direction of the printed layers. In contrast, the experiment shows that the wear is about three times larger in Ultem™ than in POM.  The highest tensile strength of Ultem™ is also found in the direction of the printed layers. Some issues with the small elongation of the 3D-printed material are presented. It is recommended that ÅF apply the 3D-printing technique with Ultem™ only for construction details with complex geometries and where the material elongation will not exceed 5%. It is also recommended that ÅF both support and contribute to this innovative technique in order to develop leading edge competence in the subject.
Volvo Cars i Skövde tillverkar och monterar Volvomotorer. Vid monteringen av tändspolen till alla 4-cylindriga motorer behövs ett monteringsverktyg. Detta monteringsverktyg tillverkas för närvarande från formsprutad termoplast polyoximetylen (POM). Det har noterats att livslängden av verktyget förkortas på grund av abrasiv nötning som uppkommer under monteringsprocessen av tändspolen. Möjligheterna att tillverka monteringsverktyget med en 3D-skrivare utvärderas i samverkan med ÅF, en konsult till Volvo Cars. En litteraturstudie presenteras för att introducera en bredare kunskap i ämnet. Den abrasiva nötningen och materialegenskaper såsom draghållfasthet, tryckhållfasthet samt töjning hos POM och ett alternativt material för 3D-skrivning, Ultem™, en amorf termoplast polyeterimid, behandlas. Dessa materialegenskaper studeras vidare och tas i beaktning med både en teoretisk analys och ett nötningsexperiment, baserat på pin-on-disc metoden. Enligt den teoretiska analysen är nötningen hos Ultem™ approximativt 6 gånger större vid jämförelsen med POM. Nötningsbeständigheten hos Ultem™ är högst då nötning sker parallellt med 3D-skrivningsriktningen av lagren. Nötningsexperimenten visar att nötningen hos Ultem™ är ungefär 3 gånger större vid jämförelsen med POM. Den högsta draghållfastheten hos Ultem™ uppkommer också parallellt med 3D-skrivningsriktningen av lagren. Problem med den låga töjningen hos det 3D-skrivna materialet behandlas. ÅF rekommenderas att tillämpa 3D-skrivning med materialet Ultem™ främst för detaljer med komplexa geometrier med en töjning som inte överskrider 5 %. ÅF rekommenderas även att både stödja och bidra till denna innovativa teknik för att kunna skapa en ledande expertis i ämnet.

In the upcoming years, our society and economy will face enormous challenges due to global warming, which is caused by the emissions of carbon dioxide and other global-warming gases. Due to its high share of CO2emission, the detrimental role of the automotive industry has recently been put into the spotlight of the public discussion. Thanks to a growing public awareness of climate change and the pollution caused by vehicles, there is now a call for action towards a more sustainable business approach by car manufacturers. The objective of this research is to investigate the actions taken by car manufacturers to meet these demands and to reveal the driving forces of this transformation. This will be done by an empirical analysis of qualitative data from two of the main companies in this sector, namely the BMW Group and the Volvo Car Group. The data comprises interviews with representatives of the two car manufacturers together which is combined with their non- financial reporting. Furthermore, this study presents the relevant scientific literature on business models. This combination of theoretical and empirical evidence will allow us to shed light on whether sustainability is a chance or a burden for car manufacturers. The results of our empirical analysis show that a sustainable business model is a chance for car manufacturers to gain a competitive edge against their competitors and thereby ensure their long-term survival. More specifically, a higher sustainability can lead to cost savings in production, new value propositions in marketing, and new revenue models overall. However, the transformation to sustainable business models also poses several challenges for the companies. Nonetheless, in summary, sustainability in the context of business models is more of a chance than a burden.

During the last few decades, the awareness of environmental and social responsibility has expanded within the society. This consciousness has resulted in an increase of requirements and demands set upon companies to conduct a business that is sustainable. The automotive industry is one of many sectors that has increased its commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). The purpose of this thesis is to explore how CSR activities have been formed within the automotive industry and who are affected by these activities. This is done through conducting a longitudinal case study on Volvo Cars, by using a qualitative content analysis on the company’s sustainability reports from 2015 to 2019. Three dimensions were examined using a modified framework of Carroll’s CSR pyramid: environmental, ethical and philanthropic responsibility. The findings resulted in eight different themes, which were analysed with the stakeholder theory and Porter’s value chain. This study concludes that Volvo Cars’ CSR activities have been integrated into their business strategies and that environmental responsibility is the most reported theme in their sustainability reports. Furthermore, this study shows that the stakeholder that is affected significantly by the performed CSR activities of Volvo Cars is the society.